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W. A. WEBBER. MUSIC SHEET FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 452,203. Patented May 12,1891.

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W. A. WEBBER, MUSIC SHEET FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 452,203. Patented May 12,1891.

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UNiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM A. IVEBBER, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN ORGAN AND MUSIC COMPANY, OF NEI" YORK, N. Y.

MUSIC-SHEET FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL. INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,203, dated May 12, 1891.

Application filed January 29, 1891. Serial No. 379,596. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. WEBBER, of Meridemin the county of NewI-Iaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Music-Sheets for Mechanical or Automatic Musical Instruments, of which .the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to perforated music-sheets which are employed in connection with mechanical or automatic musical instruments. These music sheets act as valves controlling the admission of air either to the sounding devices directly or to pneumatic motors employed to effect the operation of the sound-producing devices.

The object of the present improvement is to enable a person operating a mechanical or automatic musical instrument comprising one of these music-sheets to graduate the playing of the music, as this should be done, so that from time to time the playing may be done louder or softer, slower or faster.

The improvement consists of a music-sheet forming a new article of manufacture and provided with a line extending longitudinally but deviating in a zigzag or sinuous manner laterally from side to side for the purpose of indicating how loud or how soft the playing should be at different intervals. In addition to this there will preferably be marked upon the paper words indicative of the loudness or softness with which the playing should be done, and also words or characters indicative of the speed at which the playing from time to time should be done.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of a portion of a music-sheet embodyingthe improvement. Fig. 2 is a similar plan of another portion of the lllllSlOfSllCGlT, but here the perforations are omitted. Fig. 3 is a plan like Fig. 2, but illustrating a different portion in the length of the music-sheet.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Adesignates the music-sheet. It has formed in ita number-of perforations a, corresponding with the notes of a tune to be played and serving to admit to the mechanical or automatic musical instrument with which it is designed to be used the air necessary for producing the notes of the tune. The sheet may advantageously be secured at one end to a roller B, having at its ends flanges b and beyond the flanges journals 1) b This roller is commonly known as a music-roller, because the music-sheet is normally wound upon it. Its journal I) is shown as constructed to interlock with the driving-shaft, it being in the present instance notched for that purpose. The end of the music-sheet which is unattached to the roller B is shown as provided with a ring C. This is to enable it to be engaged with a roller comprised in the musical instrument and commonly known as a takenp roller, because it draws forward and takes up the music-sheet during the playing of the instrument. It will be observed that the music-sheet has a line L running along it. This may be delineated in ink. As shown, it is a dotted line. It will be observed that it has a general trend or extension in the direction of the length of the music-sheet,but that it deviates to the right andleft, and therefore is zigzag or sinuous. This line is intended to indicate to the person using the musical in strumenthow loud or soft the playing should be from time to time, so that hemay operate the swell in accordance with the views of the composer of the tune, Vhen the dotted line extends to the extremeleft of the music-sheet, the instrument should be played very softly, and when it extends to the extreme right of the sheet it should be played very loud. Its extension to the left or the right at different degrees is indicative of diiferent degrees of softness or loudness in the playing. Preferably there will be marked. upon the musicsheet in addition to the line L words or characters indicative of what ought to be done as, for instance,P I to indicate verysoftly, P to indicate softly, M F to indicate medium loud, F to indicateloud, F F toindicatevery loud, Cres. to indicate gradually louder, Adagio to indicate very slowly, Andante to indicate slow, Moderate to indicate moderately, and Allegro to indicate fast. Be-

sides these words and characters the following indicative of the speed of the playing can advantageou sly be marked upon the slieet namely, Accel. to indicate Taster, Ritard to indicate slower, and Tempo to indicate in time.

Vith a music-sheet made as described, the user of a mechanical or automatic musical instrument may render a tune with the light and shade that the composer intended.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, amusicsheet provided with a line extending longitudinally, but deviating in a zigzag or sinu ous manner laterallyfrom side to side for the purpose of indicating how loud or soft the playing should be at different intervals, substantially as specified.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a musicsheet provided with a line extending longitudinally, but deviating in a Zigzag or sinuous manner laterally from side to side for the purpose of indicating how loud or soft the playing should be at different intervals, and provided with words or characters also indicative of the loudness or softness of the playing, substantially as specified.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a musicsheet provided with a line extending longitudinally, but deviating in a zigzag or sinuous manner laterally from side to side for the purpose of indicating how loud or soft the playing should be at different intervals, and provided with words or characters indicative of the speed at which the playing should be done, substantially as specified.

\VILLIAM A. VEBBER.

Witnesses:

WILBUR II. SQUIRE, JOHN E. DURAND. 

